Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA

EthicalVoices

Business EN ↓ 100 episodes

Real ethics stories from real communication pros

Author

Mark McClennan, APR, Fellow PRSA

Category

Business

Podcast website

ethicalvoices.libsyn.com

Latest episode

Jun 1, 2026

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Episodes

The Ethical Implications of Blurred Lines – Cheryll Forsatz 14.09.2023

Cheryll Forsatz, the Vice President of Corporate Communications and Public Relations for Ferrero USA discusses:  1) The ethical implications of blurred lines 2) Influencer ethics and disclosure 3) Ethics and AI

How Much Human Agency Do We Require in Public Relations? – Ant Cousins 21.08.2023

This week, Ant Cousins , the Executive Director of AI Strategy at Cision , discusses a number of important issues, including: Cision's AI ethics policy The ethics implications of the use of AI in public relations How much human agency do we require in public relations? The most concerning AI ethics issues Where should PR pros start when they want to learn more about AI?

Bringing True, Ethical Authenticity to Multicultural Communications - Jennifer Gonzalez 31.07.2023

Joining me on this week's episode is Jennifer Gonzalez , the senior vice president of multicultural strategy at C+C . Jen and I are colleagues, and we had a great ethics discussion recently, so I invited her to be a guest. Jennifer discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: What to do when you know your prospect's multicultural program does not align with the community's needs Ethic...

PR Ethics: From Client Selection to AI Challenges - KayAnn Schoeneman 24.07.2023

This week on Ethical Voices, KayAnn Schoeneman , President of Curley Company discusses:   How to determine if a client is right for you Ethical issues in opposition research AI ethics challenges

Succeeding with Conscience: Navigating Ethical Challenges in Career Growth 27.06.2023

Bradley Akubuiro, a partner at Bully Pulpit Interactive, discusses a number of important ethics issues including: 1) How to deal with an ethical quandary: Career advancement or decency? 2) How to effectively serve as the conscience of an organization 3) How to deal with issues in a hyper-politicized environment

Preserving Authenticity: The Nuances of Ethical Storytelling in Advocacy Communications 12.06.2023

This week on EthicalVoices, Zainab Chaudary, Senior Vice President at New Heights Communications discusses several key ethics issues, including: 1) Lost opportunities: lessons learned from the Muslim Ban Supreme Court case 2) Navigating the tension: ethically balancing client desires and media success 3) Why you need to go beyond mission, vision and values 4) How to break down the silos in advocac...

How Can Businesses Create A More Ethical Environment - Erica Salmon Byrne 08.05.2023

Erica Salmon Byrne, CEO of Ethisphere discusses: 1) How does a company become one of the World's Most Ethical Companies? 2) What are the top ethics issues facing companies? 3) How can businesses create a more ethical environment? 4) What questions should businesses ask about ethics and AI? 5) Proof that being ethical is good business

We Must Confront the Uncomfortable Truths 17.04.2023

Roger Bolton, the president of Page, discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: 1) What to do when a reporter is writing a story that you know will quickly become inaccurate 2) Why we need to confront the uncomfortable truths 3) The ethical use of technology and AI 4) Understanding the Page Principles

How can we best balance safeguarding confidences and disclosure of information? 03.04.2023

Pete Scott, the president and CEO of American Pet Products Association. He discusses a number of important issues, including: 1) How can we best balance safeguarding confidences and disclosure of information? 2) How fast should we move on AI?

What societal issues does every company have an ethical duty to support? 06.03.2023

Niel Golightly, a partner at FGS Global,  discusses several important ethics issues, including: 1) An important lesson he learned flying an F-14 over the Indian Ocean 2) What is the hardest ethical decision? 3) The power of humility 4) How do we redefine a corporation's role in society? 5) What societal issues does every company have an ethical duty to support?

Acting Ethically Means Going Beyond Performative Action 20.02.2023

Joining me on this week's EthicalVoices episode is Candace Hamana , the owner of Badger PR and the founder of The Indigenous Peoples Public Relations Association . She discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: What to do when your employer doesn't let you act in true faith How to make land acknowledgments more than a performative action The importance of cultural contexts

Your client is accused of price gouging, now what? 30.01.2023

Scott Brooks, a public relations specialist for the TVA, shares several ethics insights, including: 1) Your client is accused of price gouging, now what? 2) How to keep truth at the forefront 3) How to ethically deal with advocacy

What is Public Relations' First Responsibility in Ethical Situations? 23.01.2023

Linda Welter, the CEO of Caliber Group, a brand marketing, public relations, and digital firm discusses a number of important ethics topics, including: 1) Where do you draw the competitive line? 2) What is our first responsibility in ethical situations? 3) Ethics issues with influencers

2022 Brands in Motion: Global Ethics Insights – Rebecca Wilson 12.12.2022

Rebecca Wilson, the Executive Vice President International for WE Communications International provides a great overview of the 2022 Brands in Motion Study and what it means for ethical communicators, including:  1) Addressing the diversity quota dilemma and tokenization 2) How many companies are delivering on their value-led commitments 3) How do brands balance their commitments to practical shor...

Public Relations Professionals Are Failing to Address the Ethical Threat of Incivility – Brian Peterson 05.12.2022

Brian Peterson, the principal of Greater Life Communications, discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: 1) How respect can effectively address unethical situations 2) The ethical threat of incivility 3) How public relations professionals are failing and what we can do 4) The need for a culture of kindness

The Ethics of Press Trips, Reviews and Affiliate Links – Scott Tharler 07.11.2022

We're doing something a little bit different this week. I spoke with Technology Journalist Scott Tharler about:  1) The ethics of press trips 2) The ethics of reviews and selling products you review 3) The ethics of affiliate links

Is Is All About Helping People - Sandy Young 24.10.2022

Sandy Young, the vice president of J. Walcher Communications, discusses a number of important ethics issues, including: 1) What to do ethically when a reporter wants to showcase a vulnerable person 2) How to handle PR with asylum seekers 3) How to help people understand "No" is an option 4) The ethics of how we are covering Kanye West 5) Why we need to update disclosure rules

The Major Ethical Issues in Employee Communications – Ethan McCarty 17.10.2022

Ethan McCarty, the founder and CEO of Integral, an award-winning employee activation agency, shares some great  ethics insights including: 1) The ongoing ethical challenge of creating shared beliefs 2) Ethical issues with creating your own echo chamber 3) Ethical perils in personalizing employee communications 4) The ethics of quiet quitting

Trust the people doing the work - Renea Morris 03.10.2022

Renea Morris, APR, Fellow PRSA, the Vice Chancellor for Marketing and Communications at the University of Denver, discusses a number of important PR ethics issues including: 1) What to do when you are uneasy with your company's growth strategy? 2) Why organizations should worry less about filtering people's comments on social channels and trust the people doing the work? 3) Where can Higher Ed imp...

The most important ethics priority for healthcare communicators 26.09.2022

Kena Lewis APR, Fellow PRSA, the Senior Director of Public Affairs and Media Relations at Orlando Health. discusses several important ethics issues, including: 1) What to do ethically when your boss is the problem 2) The ethical challenges of online identity 3) The most important ethics priority for healthcare communicators 4) How do you balance safeguarding confidences with transparency and hones...

PR Ethics: What Happens When There is a Coup? – Alex Dance 19.09.2022

For Ethics Month, I wanted to look at new topics and geographies. Joining me this week is Alex Dance, the Managing Director of ERA Communications in Cambodia. He discusses several important ethics issues, including: 1) What should you do when clients are even tangentially affiliated with a coup? 2) The state of misinformation in Cambodia 3) The impact of influencers on Cambodians 4) Ethical challe...

How to successfully advocate for transparency – Jamie Floer 12.09.2022

Jamie Floer, APR, CPRC, Fellow PRSA, the Communications Manager for the Toho Water Authority, discusses a number of ethics issues, including: 1) How to successfully advocate for transparency 2) How to protect your company's reputation when other similar brands are having ethics failures 3) Why we need to keep ethics front and center

Ethical Issues with Coalitions and Front Groups – Greg Bailey 29.08.2022

Joining me in this week's episode is Greg Bailey, APR, Fellow PRSA, the founder of Finley + Bailey Strategic Communication. He discusses a number of important public relations ethics issues including: 1) What to do when a client asks you to hide their identity as part of a coalition 2) Why we need top to turn the mirror on ourselves 3) The growing challenge of malformation 4) How to make sure your...

The ethical challenges of weaponized communication – Elizabeth Edwards 22.08.2022

Elizabeth Edwards, the founder of Volume PR and the Engagement Science Lab, discusses a number of important issues, including: 1) The ethical challenges of weaponized communication 2) Avoiding thought-terminating cliches 3) What is the one tool or word, PR pros should retire 4) Why we need to think of meaning, not just tactics

Ethical Voices: Interview with Paula Pedene 08.08.2022

This week Paula Pedene is being inducted into the Defense Information School Hall of Fame.  Every PR pro should listen to her interview from 2018 and then buy her book: A Sacred Duty   Ethical Voices Interview #1 - Paula Pedene, APR, Fellow PRSA In this episode we speak with Paula Pedene, one of the key whistleblowers in the VA scandal about the ethical issues she faced and advice for public relat...

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